Wine Country, Bruce Shimabukuro celebrate ‘ukulele

Fans of the jumping flea, rejoice: Bruce Shimabukuro (the gifted brother of you-know-who) headlines the city of Concord’s annual Hawaiian Fusion fundraiser tonight, while the fifth annual Wine Country ‘Ukulele Festival brings strings to Napa Valley today through Sunday.

Online ticket sales have ended, but there may still be tickets ($48) at the door for luau at Centre Concord, which features a a 7:30 p.m. show by headliner Shimabukuro, a contemporary singer-songwriter and uke virtuoso like his brother Jake (video below.) A benefits for scholarships and special events at the Concord Senior Center, the event also includes a Hawaiian boutique with crafts, plants, flowers and baked goods that opens at 4:30 p.m., along with a no-host bar and a buffet dinner at 6:30 with traditional luau fare such as kalua pork, chicken or pork laulau, lomi salmon, teriyaki chicken, mac salad, rice and poi. Local musicians Hanapa‘a will perform as well.

Meanwhile, the Wine Country fest will present a vintage-style “radio broadcast” tonight from the Napa Valley Opera House, hosted by Jim D’Ville with chanteuse Janet Klein and the Flea by Night Band, plus a special appearance by Faith Ako. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show are $28 and $38 (including the $3 historic preservation fee.)

The festival goes into high gear from 10 to 5 Saturday (Sept. 8) at Napa Valley College’s campus in St. Helena, with live music (performances, open mic and jam sessions), workshops, free lessons for kids, demonstrations, a flea market and marketplace (including many uke-themed vendors but also other artisans, such as Hawaiian flora-inspired Paradisus Jewelry.)

One change from last year: the final evening concert (“Last Stage Out of Town”) has been moved to Saturday night, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Gott’s Roadside (formerly Taylor’s Refresher) in St. Helena. (Word to the wise: Corkage is only $1. )The fun continues from 10 to 5 Sunday (Sept. 9) as well, this time with an emphasis on Hawaiian music. Admission is free, but workshops are $35 each; three-day pass, $95.

The ukulele festival provides the perfect musical warmup to next weekend’s Napa Valley Aloha Festival, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Expo Center in Napa, sponsored by the Manaleo Hawaiian Cultural Foundation. More details on that next week-.